Flush-type doors and panels for partitions



Aug. 2, 1966 E. E. MARTINEZ FLUSH-TYPE DOORS AND PANELS FOR PARTITIONS Filed Nov. 6, 1963 76 32 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. fV/D/OE. MART/NE Z A 7 7 O/F/VEYS FIOZ mass of interconnected paper fibres.

United States Patent 3,263,370 FLUSH-TYPE DOORS AND PANELS FOR PARTITIONS Evidio E. Martinez, 3920 Broadway, New York, N.Y. Filed Nov. 6, 19 63, Ser. No. 321,844 4 Claims. (Cl. 49-501) This invention relates to flush-type doors and panels for partitions.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved flush-type door or panel which is relatively inexpensive but yet is light in weight, strong and well suited for its purpose.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of the invention considered in connection with the accompanying drawing of a presently preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partition, including a door and panels, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical view of the front of a door, with portions cut away.

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical view of a corner of a door or panel.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the partition comprises a door 12 and a series of panels 14. The door and panels are arranged in edge-to-edge relation with adjacent edges in abutting relation. The construction of the door and panel is identical except that provision is made, in the case of the door, for a handle 16, lock 18 and a pair of hinges 20.

Door 12 comprises a fiat rectangular body member 22 which is substantially nondlexible, porous, slightly and resiliently compressible, and relatively light in weight. The material of body member 22 is a slightly compressed More particularly, member 22 is made in the following manner: Paper, such as ordinary newspaper, is thoroughly wetted with water and torn into very small pieces. The wet pieces of paper are then placed in the receiver of a stirrer or agitator, such as an ordinary household food blender, and the mass of wet pieces of paper is thoroughly mixed until it forms a thick flowable paste-like mass. The mass is then poured into a door or panel mold which essentially consists of a rectangular frame having a supporting bottom.

The mold and its contents is then placed in a press in which the mass of wet paper fibers is slightly compressed to remove a portion of the water and to compact the fibers. In order for the Water to escape, the sides and bottom of the mold frame may be provided with openin-gs. The mold and its compact paper mass is then placed in an oven and baked at a moderate temperature of about between 300 F. to 400 F. for a period of about four to six hours. The resulting product is strong, light, comparatively non-flexible, and only slightly but resiliently compressible. As a result of its unique physical properties and its inexpensiveness, it is especially useful as the main body member of a door or panel for partitions.

The top, bottom and side edges of body member 22 are encased in a metal frame 24 which comprises two L-shaped strips 24a and 24b which are preferably welded to each other, as at 26, at a pair of opposite corners of the door. The frame is preferably made from steel although aluminum may also be used. It is to be noted that the members of the frame are merely strips of flat metal which have been bent into an L-shaped. Such construction is relatively inexpensive. The members are secured to the confronting surfaces of the edges of the door by a suitable rubber based contact. cement which is preferably applied to both the door edges and the confronting surfaces of members 24a and 24b.

The opposite faces of body member 22 are covered by a vinyl plastic sheet member 28 which is both flame and chemical resistant. Sheet members 28 are secured to the faces of body member 22 also by a suitable rubber based contact cement which is preferably applied over the entire confronting surfaces of the sheet member and body member. It is to be noted, as best seen in .FIG. 3, that the peripheral marginal edge of the sheet members cover the side edges of the frame. The sheet members may be any color desired or required.

The construction of the door, as thus far described, is the same as the panel, and a panel may be converted into a door by the provision of hinges 20, door handle '16 and lock 18. The hinges are secured to body member 22 by a rubber based contact cement. More particularly, hinge 20 comprises a pair of flat members 30 and 32 which are at right angles to each other .and are secured to a hinge pin 34 on which an apertured hinge member 36 is pivotally mounted. Hinge member 36 is secured to the door jamb or adjacent panel, as illustrated by FIG. 1, by screws 38. Body member 22 is provided with rectangular recesses 40a and 4011 into which members 30 and 32 fit, and the members are secured to the body member in their respective recesses by the previously mentioned cement which is applied to the confronting surfaces of the member and the bottom of the recess. The outer surfaces of members 30 and 3 2 are flush with the adjacent surfaces of the body member. A cut-out 42 is provided in sheet member 28 for each hinge to permit part of member 30 to pass through the adjacent part of the sheet member.

A channel-shaped reinforcing metal member 44 is-secured to body member 28 at the position where the door handle and lock are to be affixed to the door. For this purpose, the opposite surfaces of the body member are provided with recesses 46 and the opening side edge of the door is provided with recess 48. Reinforcing member 44 fits in the recesses so that its outer surface is flush with the adjacent surfaces of the body member. The handle and lock are suitably secured to member 44 and it will be understood that portions of member 44 and corresponding parts of the body member are removed for mounting the handle and lock on the door in the usual fashion. Reinforcing member 44 is secured to the body member by a suitable rubber base contact cement, as previously described.

Adjacent panels 14 may be secured to each other at their upper ends by an overlying strip 50 which is suitably secured to the frames of the adjacent panels. The panels may be secured to the floor, at their lower ends by any suitable means.

While .I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that certain changes in the form and arrangement of parts and in the specific manner of practicing the invention may be made without departing from the underlying ideas or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A panel comprising a main body member comprising a mass of compacted interconnected fibres of paper, said mass being the product of the process wherein paper is first thoroughly wetted with water, then is formed into very small pieces, then is stirred until formed into a thick flowable paste-like consistency, then is compressed to remove a portion of the water, and then is baked at about 300 F. to 400 F. for about 4 to 6 hours, said body member having opposite flat spaced sides and being substantially non-flexible, porous and slightly resiliently compressible, a frame extending around and covering the peripheral edge of said body member in surface-to-surface contact therewith, said frame comprising a flat strip of metal, a plastic sheet member covering one of said flat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, another plastic sheet member covering the other one of said flat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, each of said sheet members having peripheral edge portions covering the adjacent side edges of said frame, and adhesive material securing the contacting surfaces of said frame, said sheet members and said body member to each other.

2. A panel comprising a main body member consisting of a mass of compacted interconnected fibres of paper, said mass being the product of the process wherein paper is first thoroughly wetted with water, then is formed into very small pieces, then is stirred until formed into a thick flowable paste-like consistency, then is compressed to remove a portion of the water, and then is baked at about 300 F. to 400 F. for about 4 to .6 hours, said body member having opposite flat spaced sides and being substantially non-flexible, porous and slightly resiliently compressible, a frame extending around and covering the peripheral edge of said body member in surface-to-surface contact therewith, said frame comprising a flat strip of metal, a plastic sheet member covering one of said flat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, another plastic sheet member covering the other one of said flat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, each of said sheet members having peripheral edge portions covering the adjacent side edges of said frame, and adhesive material securing the contacting surfaces of said frame, said sheet members and said body member to each other.

3. A door, comprising a main body member comprising a mass of compacted interconnected fibres of paper, said mass being the product of the process wherein paper is first thoroughly wetted with water, then is formed into very small pieces, then is stirred until formed into a thick flowable paste-like consistency, then is compressed to remove a portion of the water, and then is baked at about 300 F. to 400 F. for about 4 to 6 hours, said body member having opposite fiat spaced sides and being substantially non-fiexible, porous and slightly resiliently compressible, a frame extending around and covering the peripheral edge of said body member in surface-to-surface contact therewith, said frame comprising a flat strip of metal, a plastic sheet member covering one of said flat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, another plastic sheet member covering the other one of said flat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, each of said sheet members having peripheral edge portions covering the adjacent side edges of said frame, and adhesive material securing the contacting surfaces of said frame, said sheet members and said body member to each other, said body member having a pair of spaced recesses positioned along'one side edge of said body member, a hinge having a part positioned in one of said recesses and being flush with the adjacent surface of said body member, another hinge having a part positioned in the other one of said recesses and being flush with the adjacent surface of said body member, said body member having another pair of aligned recesses in said opposite fiat sides of said body member adjacent the other side edge thereof, reinforcing means positioned in each of said aligned recesses and being flush with the adjacent surfaceof said body member, and other adhesive means securing said members of said hinges and said reinforcing means to the adjacent surface of the body member forming part of the companion recess. I

4. A door, comprising a main body member consisting of a mass of compacted interconnected fibres of paper, said mass being the product of the process wherein paper is first thoroughly wetted with water, then is formed into very small pieces, then is stirred until formed into a thick flowable paste-like consistency, then is compressed to remove a portion of the water, and then is baked at about 300 F. to 400 F. for about 4 to 6 hours, said body member having opposite fiat spaced sides and being substantially non-flexible, porous and slightly resiliently compressible, a frame extending around and covering the peripheral edge of said body member in surface-to-surface contact therewith, said frame comprising a fiat strip of metal, a plastic sheet member covering one of said fiat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, another plastic sheet member covering the other one of said flat sides in surface-to-surface contact therewith, each of said sheet members having peripheral edge portions covering the adjacent side edges of said frame, and adhesive material securing the contacting surfaces of said frame, said sheet members and said body member to each other, said body member having a pair of spaced recesses positioned along one side edge of said body member, a hinge having a part positioned in one of said recesses and being flush with the adjacent surface of said body member, another hinge having a part positioned in the other one of said recesses and being flush with the adjacent surface of said body member, said body member having another pair of aligned recesses in said opposite flat sides of said body member adjacent the other side edge thereof, reinforcing means positioned in each of said aligned recesses and being flush with the adjacent surface of said body member, and other adhesive means securing said members of said hinges and said reinforcing means to the adjacent surface of the body member forming part of the companion recess.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 54,171 4/1866 Jordon 16167 1,785,661 12/1930 Wasmuth 20-35 1,848,715 3/1932 Hart et al 189-46 2,394,492 2/1946 Scharenberg 1845 2,413,497 12/1946 Heymann 1845 2,511,620 6/1950 Clements 2035 2,557,412 6/1951 Clements 20-35 2,717,062 9/1955 Dusing et al. 18946 2,797,450 7/ 1957 Ropella 2035 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. P. M. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PANEL COMPRISING A MAIN BODY MEMBER COMPRISING A MASS OF COMPACTED INTERCONNECTED FIBRES OF PAPER, SAID MASS BEING THE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS WHEREIN PAPER IS FIRST THOROUGHLY WETTED WITH WATER, THEN IS FORMED INTO VERY SMALL PIECES, THEN IS STIRRED UNTIL FORMED INTO A THICK FLOWABLE PASTE-LIKE CONSISTENCY, THEN IS COMPRESSED TO REMOVE A PORTION OF THE WATER, AND THEN IS BAKED AT ABOUT 300*F. TO 400*F. FOR ABOUT 4 TO 6 HOURS, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE FLAT SPACED SIDES AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY NON-FLEXIBLE, POROUS AND SLIGHTLY RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE, A FRAME EXTENDING AROUND AND COVERING THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID BODY MEMBER IN SURFACE-TO-SUR- 